Germany’s Merz says no convincing plan for democratic change in Iran

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed on Wednesday that Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib was killed.

In a post on X, Pezeshkian said Khatib and other senior figures, including Ali Larijani, were killed along with some of their family members and associates.

“The cowardly assassination of my dear colleagues Esmail Khatib, Ali Larijani and Aziz Nasirzadeh… has left us in mourning,” Pezeshkian said in a post on X.

The statement marks the first official confirmation of Khatib’s death following Israeli statements that he had been targeted and killed in overnight strikes in Tehran.

Iranian gas flows to Iraq were halted on Wednesday after an attack on Iran’s South Pars gas field, a senior Iraqi official told Reuters.

Iran diverted gas for domestic use following the strike, the official said.

Tehran supplies between a third and 40% of Iraq’s gas and power needs.

The Iranian regime appears to remain intact but “largely degraded” following US military operations, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on Wednesday.

She said Iran’s nuclear enrichment program was “obliterated” in June strikes, but the full extent of the damage remains unclear.

Gabbard added the United States has seen no effort so far by Iran to rebuild its enrichment capability.

She warned Iran and its proxies still retain the ability to attack US and allied interests in the Middle East.

She said that if the regime survives, it is likely to begin a years-long effort to rebuild its missile and drone forces.

Russia on Wednesday condemned a US-Israeli strike near Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant, saying it occurred just metres from an energy unit.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called on the United States and Israel to stop attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Iran told the International Atomic Energy Agency the strike caused no damage or injuries.

Russia built the Bushehr plant and helps operate it.

The International Atomic Energy Agency does not know the status of a new Iranian enrichment facility in Isfahan, its chief Rafael Grossi said on Wednesday.

“It is underground, but we haven’t visited it yet,” Grossi said in Washington.

Grossi said the facility is part of an underground nuclear complex and that the agency has not yet been able to inspect it.

He is in Washington for a conference and talks with officials from the Trump administration.